Session
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Beltsazar Krisetya (M), Centre for Strategic and International Studies, think tank, APAC (onsite) Patricia Larasgita (F), Safer Internet Lab, civil society, APAC (onsite) Maria Monica Wihardja (F), ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, academia, APAC (online) Rifqi Rachman (M), Safer Internet Lab, civil society, APAC (online)
Arianne Santoso (F), Google, private sector, APAC TBD, ASEAN Secretariat (socio-cultural pillar), regional organisation, APAC Arya Fernandes (M), Centre for Strategic and International Studies, think tank, APAC Summer Chen (F), civil society, APAC Robert Nicholls (M), The University of Sydney, academia, APAC Maria Elize Mendoza (F), University of the Philippines-Diliman, academia, APAC
16.10
16.6
16.7
17.16
17.17
17.6
Targets: The workshop's focus on information governance during elections directly supports SDG 16 by examining how democratic institutions can be strengthened against misinformation and disinformation. By convening experts from across Asia-Pacific countries to share their experiences with GenAI-powered electoral disinformation, the workshop also advances SDG 17's emphasis on partnerships and knowledge sharing.
Theater
1. Opening Segment (15 minutes) 2. Brief welcome and introduction by session moderator (3 minutes) - Scene-setting presentation on the 2024 global election megacycle and GenAI's impact on information ecosystems (7 minutes) - Launch of Safer Internet Lab's cross-regional research papers with visual highlights of key comparative findings across Asia-Pacific countries (5 minutes) 3. Country Case Presentations (25 minutes) -Five expert presenters (Indonesia, Philippines, India, Australia) will deliver focused 5-minute presentations highlighting: - Unique regulatory approaches implemented during their 2024 elections - Most effective interventions against GenAI-powered disinformation - One critical lesson for future electoral cycles 3. Moderated Discussion: Cross-Regional Patterns (20 minutes) Facilitated comparative analysis exploring: - Successful multi-stakeholder collaborations that emerged across countries - Common platform governance challenges across different cultural contexts - Evolving regulatory frameworks for GenAI in elections 4. Interactive Audience Engagement (20 minutes) - Real-time digital polling on participants' perceptions of most transferable governance models - Facilitated audience dialogue with experts (questions submitted through hybrid participation platform) - Collaborative identification of emerging principles for GenAI governance during elections 5. Synthesis and Next Steps (10 minutes) - Moderator-led summary of key insights and identified governance principles - Presentation of how SAIL research findings will inform future work - Information on accessing complete research papers and joining ongoing dialogue
The 2024 global election megacycle presented unprecedented challenges to democracy and information ecosystems, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where nearly half the world's population voted. This workshop examines how misinformation and disinformation—increasingly powered by generative AI—impacted electoral processes and governance frameworks across the region. The session will launch Safer Internet Lab's comparative research analyzing how countries including Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, India, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan responded to information threats during their elections. Our multinational panel will share firsthand insights into regulatory frameworks, civil society interventions, and platform governance models that emerged during these critical democratic exercises. Key questions to be explored include: 1. How can regulatory frameworks for election-related information governance be designed to address cross-border disinformation campaigns while respecting national sovereignty and cultural contexts? 2. What responsibilities should digital platforms assume during electoral periods, and how can these be standardized across diverse political systems without unduly constraining freedom of expression? 3. What mechanisms for multi-stakeholder collaboration between governments, platforms, and civil society have proven most effective in combating election misinformation, and how might these models be formalized into sustainable governance frameworks? The workshop employs a comparative approach, connecting technical, regulatory, and social dimensions of information integrity. Rather than presenting siloed national experiences, we will identify transnational patterns, innovative countermeasures, and institutional models that demonstrated resilience against information manipulation. The session will generate actionable policy recommendations for strengthening democratic resilience against GenAI-powered disinformation. It will highlight successful interventions and recurring vulnerabilities that transcend national boundaries. Attendees will gain practical knowledge about platform governance challenges regarding coordinated networks and social media influencers and transferable frameworks for developing resilient information ecosystems applicable to their own contexts. By analyzing how different frameworks performed when facing similar challenges within varied cultural and political contexts, the workshop will identify mechanisms for multi-stakeholder collaboration that balance innovation with information integrity. SAIL publications will be distributed on-site and made available digitally on saferinternetlab.org
Our session will employ a three-tiered approach to hybrid engagement. First, we'll use dedicated co-moderators—one on—site and one online—to ensure balanced participation in both environments. Second, we'll use Mentimeter for real-time polling on regional comparisons of GenAI regulation approaches. The results will be instantly visualized for all participants. Third, we'll implement a structured "virtual hand-raising" system via the IGF platform. Questions will be curated by region and stakeholder type to ensure diverse perspectives are heard. Pre-session materials, including country case studies, will be distributed to all participants, and key visuals will be optimized for both digital and physical display.